


Paradox Kiss

by toastkat



Series: Passionate Paradox [2]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Cheating, F/M, Incest, MILF, Monster-fucking, Oral, Porn Without Plot, Sex Toys, Sexual Content, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, demon-fucking, sexually explicit, shoestring plot, time-travel, vaginal oral, what plot?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:07:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21955621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toastkat/pseuds/toastkat
Summary: Nero is called to a job that sends him face-to-face with the heart of the Sparda legend.
Relationships: Nero/Eva (Devil May Cry)
Series: Passionate Paradox [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1580659
Kudos: 13





	1. Hollaback Boy

The call came, as they always did, just as Nero was sitting down to dinner. With the last remnants of the Qliphoth still being cleaned up around Red Grave City, there was plenty of work to be done. Which meant a nice steady income, but…

“Goddamn if you couldn’t fucking wait until  _ after _ I ate,” Nero grumbled as he went to the wall phone, the only one available to answer. Kyrie giggled as she passed by, carrying the steaming casserole dish with both hands to the dinner table, and Nero could smell cigarette smoke from where Nico relaxed at the front porch. He grabbed the phone with his left hand out of habit, still not quite used to having his right arm back. As one shoulder held the receiver to his ear, he rolled the stiffness out of the other. “Devil May Cry.”

“I have a job for you,” replied a voice on the other end. Nero’s brows furrowed at the sound of it. The voice was familiar, and he could almost place it... “It won’t pay much, but it’s right up your alley. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

Nero glanced back as Nico came into the kitchen, the two women watching him take the call with their curiosity written plainly on their faces. 

“Alright, I’m listening.”

“Good. The old Sparda place. You know it?”

Chills ran down Nero’s spine, and he could see from Kyrie’s look of concern that he’d gone pale. He closed his eyes and saw the house. Nero could hear V’s voice echoing in his mind, telling him about that bloody day decades ago, as if the crumbling young man were still standing beside him. The home of his father and his uncle, the home of the family Nero only learned he had months ago. When he first saw that ruined and abandoned house, it was only in passing. Now that brief moment, that thoughtless glimpse, was etched into his memory forever.

He licked his lips, swallowed in a dry throat, did everything he could to keep his voice steady as he answered the question.

“Yeah, I know the place.”

“There’s still some damage and debris that hasn’t been cleared up. Nico’s van will get you close, but not all the way there. Once she drops you off at the roadblock, and once you get past the rubble, there’ll be a toppled light pole leaning on a tree, making a sort of triangle shape. Go through that triangle. You hear me, Nero? Don’t climb over, don’t go around. Duck  _ under _ the light pole.” The man on the other side chuckled to himself. “You’ll see why when you get there. Oh, and take Sweet Surrender 2.0 with you. Nico’s been working on it under wraps since you got your arm back, with the idea of saving it for you and Kyrie’s anniversary, but trust me. You’ll want it.”

Nero’s hand shot for his hips, drawing Blue Rose as he glared out the window. He knew that the caller wouldn’t be there, wouldn’t be pressed to the glass with a grin on his face, but that devil inside suggested otherwise. “Who are you? How do you know all this?”

He heard the grin in the other man’s voice. “Give you three guesses, but the first two don’t count. You have fifteen minutes before your window of opportunity closes. Better hurry.”

The line on the other end clicked, cutting off their conversation with the buzz of a dial tone. Scowling, Nero put away his gun and hung up the phone. He heard the patter-patter of Kyrie following after him as he stormed out of the kitchen and grabbed his coat from where it hung in the mudroom. She didn’t say anything until he was sitting on the little bench, lacing up his boots.

“Another job?” Her voice was soft and small, a flickering candle against the dark of night.

His hands hesitated. He didn’t want to look up at her. He already knew the look on her face just from the sound of her voice. She’d be smiling the way she does when she’s holding something back. That small smile that hid the sadness. The loneliness. Losing V had been a blow for both of them, and even though the war was over, there were still battles that dragged Nero from home, from her. 

Nero finished lacing up his boots and looked up at her. As he expected, she was smiling at him. But that smile was marred by that drop of sadness that sparkled in her eyes. 

“Yeah,” he said with a small smile of his own. “Yeah, it’s another job. Sounds important, too. Caller said I had to be there in fifteen minutes.”

Kyrie nodded. “Would you like me to pack something for you on the road?”

“Nah. Fighting with a full stomach makes me sick.” 

He reached to her with both hands, and she took a step nearer to let her hands rest on his open palms. His thumbs gently stroked her knuckles as he sat up straight. She leaned forward enough to touch her forehead to his. Nero closed his eyes at her nearness, feeling her warmth envelope him as if she had spectral wings of her own. Not for the first or the last time, he wondered if she were part angel. 

“Please be careful,” Kyrie whispered. “I get so worried…”

“I know you do. But you know I’ll come back. I always do. Just to see you again.”

She giggled softly. 

“How about I bring you something back this time?”

The maiden shook her head, giggling again. “You don’t have to.”

“I want to. I want to spoil you.”

“Oh Nero… This is enough for me. Having you here…”

He grinned a bit, tilting his chin up to kiss her. She stepped back to let him stand, her arms resting on his shoulders as his hands came to her waist. Her body fit so perfectly against his as he held her, taking in one last breath of her perfume and skin and hair before letting go. Kyrie’s smile was brighter now as he grabbed Red Queen from her mount on the wall. 

“C’mon, Nico!” Nero shouted to the kitchen. “You’re dragging ass, and I don’t want to miss this job!”

“Hold yer horses, I’m comin’!” Nico wiped food from her face with the back of her hand, having stolen a few bites of the casserole when left alone with the dish. 

Kyrie giggled once more. “I’ll have dessert waiting for you when you get back.”

Nero furrowed his brows. “I thought you said you weren’t making any more…”

His words stopped short as she winked at him. He blushed and grinned and rubbed his nose with his hand. “Right… Got’cha.” Nero kissed her cheek. “Be back before you miss me.”

“I already do,” Kyrie sighed as they left, the two racing for the van parked out front.

He beat Nico to the van, already buckled in by the time she clambered up into the seat. She turned it on and let the engine warm up before putting on her own seatbelt. Nico waited until she had a cigarette lit up before she put the metal monster into drive.

“Where we headin’?”

Nero grabbed the GPS from the dashboard and plugged in the coordinates. She nodded to herself and hung a left before the GPS could tell her to do so. From all the recent work, the gunsmith knew her way around the city almost better than Nero. He sat back in his seat, boots propped up on the dashboard, and he curled up in thought.

Nico glanced at him through the corner of her eye, pulling a long drag from her cigarette before taking it from her lips to tap the ash out the window. 

“You wanna talk about this one? You didn’t look too good when you took that call. Looked like yuh seen a ghost or sump’in.”

He chuffed and shook his head, waving the cloud of smoke from his face. “There isn’t anything to tell you. Just go to the place.”

“And do the thing?”

His brows furrowed. “No… Just… Go to the place.”

“Huh. Guess ‘oever called thought yuh’d figure it out when yuh get there.”

Nero let the conversation drop, mulling over the mysterious phone call and instructions. He knew Dante’s voice, and though he’d only spoken to his father briefly, Nero was fairly sure he’d know Vergil’s voice too. The voice on the phone had been neither of them, but it was still so  _ familiar. _

It had almost sounded like his own...


	2. Beyond the Veil

It wasn’t the accuracy of the mystery caller’s description that bothered Nero as the van reached the road block. Nico turned off the metal monster as he unbuckled his seatbelt, going into her workshop in the back rather than getting out.

“What the hell’re yuh doin’?!” Nico yelled as he grabbed a heavy box and opened it. She narrowed her eyes to glare at him. “That’s  _ suppose’tuh _ be a surprise!”

“Yeah, well I need it,” Nero said as he clipped Sweet Surrender 2.0 to his belt.

He waved off Nico’s curses and concern as he got out of the van, ordering her to stay put before he ascended the hill of rubble and cut him off from her field of view. It wasn’t the vague instructions that bothered him either. Nero had gotten more cryptic calls in the past. He walked along the sidewalk, his hands shoved in his pockets. And it wasn’t the lack of demons that bothered him. His own inner devil hissed lowly, feeling the presence of other demons brush their energy against his skin. They skittered away once they felt his power and knew he wasn’t just some lone human to be preyed upon.

Nero stopped at the toppled light pole. Electricity crackled and snapped where the pole was torn from its base. The light flickered in the tree, casting dancing shadows on the sidewalk and buildings nearby. And in that triangle that formed, outlined by the length of the pole, the trunk of the tree, and the sidewalk wet from rain, was a scene of daylight and fields. Like a painting out of place, or a TV screen, but  _ different _ . Nero scrunched his nose at the image as it flickered.  _ Hell, it’s like a piece of reality was broken and didn’t get swept up, _ he thought. The man sighed to himself.

“Deja vu,” he said out loud.  _ That’s _ what bothered him about this mission. The feeling of “been there, done that” that surrounded everything. The phone call, the ride, and now this. He squatted down closer to get a better look at the shard of reality, reaching out with his hand to touch it. Nero had expected his hand to hit  _ something _ ; glass, silver,  _ anything _ . But his hand kept on going until he could feel the warmth of the sunlight on his skin. A breeze blew, rustling the tall grasses and wildflowers, and he could  _ smell _ the dust that was kicked up at his feet.

The image flickered again, like a TV losing reception.  _ The caller said I had only fifteen minutes. And then what happens? The portal closes?  _ Nero huffed through his nose.

“Guess it’s now or never!” 

He waited until the image appeared again, until the large house on the hill and the field of wildflowers reappeared. When he felt the warmth of the sun and the kiss of the breeze, Nero shifted his weight and tumbled forward, rolling into the image. It didn’t resist his body, and he landed on his feet on the other side of the toppled pole. Glancing back at the fallen tree branch, he watched as the dark image of his night city street flickered away. He didn’t need an expert to tell him that the portal was closed.

Nero rubbed the back of his neck as he faced the old Sparda place. “Alright, so I’ve gone through a portal,” he said to himself. “Not the first time it’s happened, but where did this one lead me?” His eyes lifted from the house to the city beside it. 

No, not city.

Village. 

The town was considerably  _ smaller _ than the Red Grave City that Nero knew. And though it’s quaintness made him homesick for Fortuna, it didn’t reassure him in the slightest. 

A sparkle of gold caught the corner of his eye. In a heartbeat, Blue Rose was in his hand and he snapped his head back to the house, just in time to see a ribbon of gold and black go around the corner to disappear out of his field of view. His feet moved before he realized what he was doing, taking him one step at a time closer to that house. That doomed house. That cursed house. It hadn’t been destroyed yet; time hadn’t touched it, nature hadn’t reclaimed it. The paint was still fresh and new, and even the garden gate that swung open at a touch seemed to have been recently oiled. Nero holstered Blue Rose as he followed a path around the house, to a garden in the back.

He breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the golden-haired woman in black, her back to him as she pulled weeds from the garden.

“Man, Trish, am I glad to see you. Just as I was starting to think something weird had happened,” he said as he came closer.

The woman stopped working, lifted her head, stood and turned to face him in a single, fluid movement. Nero stopped short. She was beautiful, like Trish. Long gold hair, blue eyes, dimples as she smiled at him, but this woman was  _ not _ Trish. 

This was the woman in the picture on Dante’s desk.

“I’m sorry, but I believe you have me mistaken for someone else,” Eva remarked. Her eyes flicked over him, her gaze drifting down to his boots and back up again. “Can I help you?”

All the air escaped Nero’s lungs, as if he’d been punched in the gut. He didn’t go back in time a few months or a few years, like the last time this had happened. That portal had sent him back by  _ decades _ . Were Dante and Vergil even  _ alive _ yet? He felt his lips hang open, gaping like a goldfish out of water as he struggled to put words together. How could he explain to her who he was? Where he came from? How could he even  _ begin  _ to ask her how to get back?

She closed the distance between them in two brave steps, reaching to Nero to pinch his worn coat between her fingers. He held still as she inspected him. Her hand hovered over his right arm, and she took both of his hands in hers to look at his palms. Nodding, she let go of them to let his hands drop to his sides. Eva tilted her head to the side as she examined the necklace he wore, holding it delicately in her hand as she turned it over to look at the back, before lifting her eyes to his face. She cupped his cheeks in her hands, turning him this way and that way. Eva smiled at him as she ran her thumbs over the stubble of his cheeks, her blue eyes meeting his.

“I see,” she finally said with a nod, taking her hands from him and stepping back one step to give him his space. The woman crossed her arms over her bosom, tapping her cheek in thought. “At first I had mistaken you as well, young man. With the sun in my eyes, I had thought for a moment that you were…” She chuckled lowly and shook her head. “But that’s not the point. The point is, you don’t belong  _ here _ , do you?”

“How do you know that?” Nero asked, both relieved and surprised. 

Eva giggled, hiding her lips with her hand. “I wouldn’t be a very good witch if I couldn’t recognize someone displaced from their own time, now would I?” Her eyes went over him once more. “Your clothes don’t match this era, nor do your mannerisms. Nor does that curious thing strapped to your belt. But most of all, your aura…” She lowered her hand from her face, her fingers making a rippling gesture as if she were running her hand through water. Nero’s skin prickled, feeling that devil inside him being pulled closer to the surface. Eva nodded, as if seeing something he didn’t. “Your aura is vibrating at a frequency out of tune with the rest of this world.” 

Nero could only stare at her. He scoured his memories, trying to remember anything and everything Dante had told him about the woman he kept a sacred space for on his desk. Even Trish had dodged his questions about the similarity between her and that photo, either telling him to go ask Dante or that she’d explain it when he was older. But the only thing he could remember were the stories from the Order. The legends spoke of a woman that had bound herself in contract with Sparda to save humanity, a powerful witch that was as beautiful and deadly as nightshade. But those stories, those legends, left out her name. And though images of Sparda had been splashed all over Fortuna, not one picture depicted the woman he gave up everything for. 

She smiled at him as she picked up her basket. “You’d best come inside, young man,” Eva told him, patting his chest as she stepped past him. “The less people you interact with, the better. Meddling with time can have horrible consequences, and I’d rather not risk the catastrophe of space folding in on itself if you speak with the wrong person during your visit here.”

“Too late,” Nero muttered as he followed her into the house. 


	3. Lips of a Devil

Nero stopped short in the doorway, meeting the disinterested gaze of a pair of children immortalized in oil and canvas. Nero felt himself grin lopsidedly as he stepped closer to inspect the painting, resisting the urge to grab his phone from its pocket and snap a photo for later. There they were, in all their glory, hanging over the fireplace. Dante and Vergil, not even ten years old as they stood in the painting. At first glimpse, Nero wasn’t sure which twin was his father, and which was his uncle, but as he stepped close enough to almost be eye-to-eye with them, he could see the subtle little tells. The one closer to Sparda had to be Dante. He looked so  _ done _ with the idea of standing around while some nobody painter worked. The light reflecting off of Eva’s shawl gave him an unearthly red aura. Beside him was Vergil, Eva’s hand on his shoulder as if to keep him still. Nero laughed a little, his eyes turning to Eva in the portrait. The painter had done a terrible job on her. Either he was in a hurry or was a lousy painter in the first place, because he didn’t even capture a strand of her beauty in the image. 

He swallowed in a dry throat as he looked at Sparda. The man in the portrait looked nothing like the sacred texts of the Order. He hardly resembled the paintings hanging in the halls of the Order or the statues that guarded over the city streets. Perhaps he was a grandfather to the twins - Eva’s father - or some other relative standing in for Sparda, because Nero wasn’t convinced that the man sitting in the chair, with his wild hair and rather portly jowls, was Sparda himself. 

Eva came up to his elbow, her steps almost silent, and he glanced at her through the corner of his eye. She was staring at him. He blushed and looked away from the painting, rubbing his nose with his hand. 

“Speak your mind,” she encouraged him.

“I don’t think that’d be a good idea,” Nero mumbled, finding the fireplace rather fascinating to avoid looking at her. 

Her hand lifted to touch his cheek, turning him to face her. Though her lips smiled, her eyes sparkled with sadness.  _ Just like Kyrie, _ Nero thought with a small smile of his own.  _ Must be a girl thing. _

“You said it yourself,” he said as his fingers curled around her wrist. “I can’t go around saying the wrong thing to the wrong people.”

“Am  _ I _ one of those people?” Eva asked, tilting her head a little.

Nero nodded, pulling her hand away from him. “Yeah, you’re… You’re someone I can’t go around spoiling the future for, you know?”

“You know who I am.”

His eyes fell to the floor, and he nodded again in silence.

Both of her hands came to his face, lifting his gaze to meet hers once more. “Is that why you have difficulty looking at me?”

He fixed his gaze on the tip of her nose, avoiding her piercing eyes. “Yeah. Because… Because I know… I know what happens. And I’m afraid… I’m afraid if you look hard enough at me, you’ll see…” Nero bit his bottom lip, closing his eyes tight. Something wasn’t right. His heart was racing so fast in his throat that he could hardly breathe. Was she using some magic on him, trying to pull the truth from his lungs? The demon inside him purred, having other thoughts. His shoulder blades tingled, his wings itching to be free. He shook his head, his hands clasping her wrists to try to pull her away from him. “I shouldn’t be here. I need to leave.”

“And where would you go? You can’t return to your time on your own, or else you wouldn’t have come here.”

Nero chuffed. “You say that like you can send me back.”

“I can. For a price…”

His eyes flicked up to hers, narrowing on her. “What price?”

Eva let go of him, smiling to herself. “Come. We’ll discuss it over tea.”

Just like that, whatever spell she’d cast broke, and Nero was able to breathe again. She stepped past him, leading him past the elegant dining room and into a kitchen illuminated by sunlight pouring into the windows overlooking the garden. The woman gestured to a small table with two chairs off to the side, and Nero sat, watching her work.  _ No, _ he thought as she put a kettle on the stove to boil.  _ It wasn’t a spell. I’m nervous. I’m as fucking nervous as a dumb teenager with a girl in his bedroom for the first time. Get ahold of yourself, Nero! What the hell is there to be nervous about? Aside from fucking up the future by saying something stupid. _

She slid into the other chair, her fingers clasping to rest her chin on as she observed him. Though she smiled at him, he could see an edge of darkness in that smile, like a knife in a lover’s hand catching the moonlight. “So, young man. You are what every witch wants in her kitchen. A voice from the future that knows all. Tell me, what has become of my husband?”

_ Like that. That would be a stupid thing to say. _

His eyes fell to his hands, balled up in nervousness on the table. 

“I really can’t…”

_ I shouldn’t have taken that fucking call. _

“Telling you could create…  _ problems _ for the future.”

“You mean a paradox?”

“Yeah…”

_ This job will be worth it, my ass.  _

“Doesn’t your presence here already create a paradox?”

“Well,  _ yeah _ , but…”

“Please…” Her hands clasped around his. The soft pads of her thumbs stroked the skin of his wrists. Nero bit his tongue to contain the shiver that trickled down his spine at her touch. Every time she touched him, he felt himself losing more and more control over himself. “Please, I must know. Will I ever see my Sparda again? I have looked in the cards, in the stars, in flame, and in water. I have looked in every way my power will allow me, and I see nothing. But you…  _ You _ know. Please…” He dared to look up at her face and saw her tears falling down her cheeks. He saw her, not as a celestial woman of power that made a contract with the legendary dark knight, but as another innocent victim of the demonic war. “Please tell me.”

How many times had he done this? How many times had he sat with someone whose husband, whose wife, whose children had died at the hands of the nightmares he fought with steel and gunpowder? Too many times, and it never got easier. Kyrie was better at it than he was. Where was she when he needed her? “ _ Waiting at home,” _ that voice whispered in his mind.

_ Just like Eva… _

“I’m sorry,” he finally said, his eyes on their hands. He felt her tense up, as if knowing what he was about to say before the words spilled from his lips. “Sparda is…” Nero sighed. “No one really knows what happened. Some say he just… disappeared. Others claim that he was lured away from home and ambushed. Captured, killed…” He shook his head. “I don’t know what happened to Sparda. All I know is that he won’t be here, when…” He had to stop himself from telling her everything. The coming attack. The separation of the twins. Her mutilated and charred body. Nero closed his eyes tight, not wanting to see what he’d done to her. His words alone could kill her. “I’m sorry.”

She sniffled and nodded, removing her hands from his to wipe her tears away with the corner of her shawl. “Don’t be,” Eva told him in a whisper. “You have only confirmed what I already knew in my heart. That my Sparda…” 

The kettle whistled.

“Excuse me,” she pardoned herself before standing. 

Nero sat back in his chair, watching her as she poured tea into a pot and then the hot water. She got out two mugs, setting one in front of him. His attention went to the little plastic honey bear on the table, squeezing in two big globs of honey into his mug before she came back with the tea pot. 

“Tell me something happy,” Eva said as she filled his mug with steaming tea. “Please, tell me something happy about the future. Every time I look, I see only darkness.”

He chuffed a bit, stirring the tea with a spoon. The tea still too hot to drink, he cupped the mug with both hands. “Dante adopts a little girl that he saves,” Nero confessed with a lopsided grin. “Or more of, she adopts him. She just turned eighteen a few months back, and boy did she chew his ass out for missing her birthday party.”

“ _ No, _ ” Eva gasped incredulously, joining him at the table with a steaming mug and glowing grin of her own.

“Yeah. This blonde gal with pig-tails named Patty. Here.” He dug through his jacket to grab his phone, turning it on. He had to swipe around to find a picture, then showed it to Eva. “Between her, Lady, and Trish, Dante can barely afford to keep the shop open.”

The woman laughed behind a hand, shaking her head. “ _ My _ Dante? My rambunctious, mischievous, irresponsible little Dante owns his own business?”

Nero nodded, putting his phone away. “Yeah. I work for him actually. Demon hunters for hire. The pay isn’t much, but helping people is a reward of its own, you know?” 

Her smile fell a little. “So then, if you are not Dante’s son, you must be Vergil’s.”

“Wait, what? I never said that…”

Eva waved his words away. “Please, there’s no need to try to hide it from me. I know Sparda’s blood when I see it. As I saw it in my sons, I see him in you.” She smiled as she sipped her tea. “You look very much like him, when I first met my Sparda.” The woman giggled a little. “Young and angry at the world, and yet still soft… I can see the laughter in your eyes and lips, just as I saw it on his.”

He rubbed his nose with his hand, trying to hide his blush. “Thanks… I guess?”

“And shy too! How adorable.” Eva sighed. “Dante owns a business, and what does Vergil do?"

"Fight with Dante mostly," Nero grumbled into his cup.

The woman laughed, having to stifle herself with a hand. "Truthfully, please!"

"I'm serious! I've only spent like ten minutes with him, and he only fought with Dante and me the entire time!"

Her smile faded. "What?"

Nero realized a little too late what he'd said. "Nothing. It was nothing..."

"No, please tell me. What did you mean by that?"

He ran his fingers through his short hair. "Yeah, Vergil's my father, but..." Nero shrugged. "He didn't raise me. I grew up at… I was raised by someone else. It's a long story, and I don't think I should tell you all the details. Can we…" He rubbed his nose with his hand. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Very well then." He sighed in relief as she sipped her tea in thought. After a moment of watching him, Eva spoke again. "Tell me more about yourself. We've not yet properly introduced ourselves, and yet you know me, my husband, and my sons. You have an unfair advantage over me."

Nero grinned a little lopsidedly, feeling himself blush once more. "Yeah, I guess we haven't." He offered his hand to her and fumbled as he realized he had offered his left hand. The youth tried again, offering his right. "I'm Nero. It's nice to meet you, er… Mrs Sparda?"

She giggled as she shook his hand. "Eva is fine.”

“Eva.” Nero nodded, grinning a bit. “It’s nice.” He shrugged and shook his head, his eyes going to his hand, clasped in both of hers as she traced the lines inside his palm with her fingers. “There’s not much to tell. I hunt demons, even though I’m part demon myself.” He chuckled a bit, flexing his hand around hers. His thumb stroked the softness of her hand. “Still getting used to that. It was only a few months ago that this hand was a demon’s claw. Then it got ripped off, so I had a prosthetic for a while. Then I unlocked my trigger and  _ bam _ , it grew back.” 

The woman nodded at his words. “As a quarter demon, it must have been difficult to unlock your trigger. Seeing Sparda’s true form…” Eva smiled dreamily. “I will never forget it. Or him. I am curious to know how Dante’s and Vergil’s compare to their father’s form.”

“They’re nowhere close to Sparda’s.”

Her eyes lifted to his, sparkling as her smile brightened. “You’ve seen them? Their devil triggers?”

“Oh yeah. Dante’s got ruby and black scales, and he glows like he’s always on fire. Vergil’s is like silver and blue, he’s got these massive wings, and he’s wicked fast. I feel like a bug compared to them, but somehow I can kick both their asses if and when I need to.”

Eva chuffed lowly to herself. “I see…”

“Speaking of Dante and Vergil…” Nero glanced around. “They’re not here, are they? The world may not have collapsed on itself from me meeting you, but if I meet them as kids and they remember it thirty years down the road…”

“They’re not here. They’re at school, and will be away from home until later this evening. Until then, it’s just us.”

Nero felt his skin prickle at her words and the thoughts they stirred. Her gentle touches didn’t help either, his mind going places best left unspoken. 

“Still,” he mumbled. “Not to push the subject, but I should probably not be here when they get home, you know? You said you could send me back for a price, but…” Nero shook his head. “I don’t have much that I can give you. I mean, I’ve got  _ some _ money, but not a whole lot.”

“Money is not what I’m interested in, Nero.” Eva stood from her seat and tugged on his hand until he stood as well. She closed the distance between them, so near to him that he could smell the perfume of dried flowers in her hair. Her eyes fluttered between his and his lips. “You have given me peace of mind and spirit by telling me of my loved one’s futures. Your words are a light in the darkness that is to come. And for all that, I thank you. But in exchange for sending you back to your time, I must ask for one, selfish thing.”

Nero wet his dry lips with his tongue, swallowing back his returning nervousness. “Anything,” he replied quietly, his voice a secretive whisper meant for her and for her alone. 

She guided his hands to her body, placing his warm palms on her shoulders. Her own hands slid down his arms to come to rest on his chest. “I have gone without the touch of my husband for many years. I see in your heart that you have a woman in your life, a maiden that is wife to you in all but name. In exchange for my magic, I ask that you give me the comfort of body that only a lover can bring me.” 

His heart racing in his chest once more, Nero nodded. His hands cupped her face and pulled her through that last infinite distance between them, touching his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Eva gasped softly as she closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around him to press her body against his. Her lips opened to him, and without a second thought, Nero allowed the kiss to deepen into the passionate kiss of a lover.

The kiss felt like it lasted for hours, and both of them panted as they pulled away from one another. He watched her eyes flutter open, lifting to meet his gaze. Her eyes were the color of the sky on a cloudless day, that infinite blue only made more vibrant by the flushed pink of her cheeks and the gold of her eyebrows. 

“Go upstairs to the master bedroom,” Eva commanded him in a low whisper. “I’ll join you shortly after I’ve started on that spell.”


	4. Dante's Mom (Has Got It Goin' On)

Nero stood at the foot of the master bed with mixed feelings.  _ This is Sparda’s bed _ , he thought as he ran a hand over the plush royal purple blanket.  _ I’m about to fuck Sparda’s wife in Sparda’s bed. I can’t decide if Credo would be pissed or proud. _ He grinned and shot a middle finger to the ceiling.  _ Hey Sanctus, if it’s true that the dead can hear the thoughts of the living, eat shit old man. I’m about to fuck Sparda’s wife in Sparda’s bed. You couldn’t even get Sparda’s religion right. Also, hey Sparda. Hope you don’t mind, but in my defense, she asked. _

He grabbed the blankets and pulled them down to the foot of the bed, exposing the clean, silken sheets beneath. Sweet Surrender 2.0 bounced on the bed where he tossed it. Nero removed his coat and hung it on the back of a chair, and he sat on the edge of the bed to untie his boots. He tugged them off and set them by the bed, each sock stuffed partway down the boot. Red Queen leaned against the wall, and Blue Rose was set on a desk by his jacket. His hands shook a little with nervousness as he unbuckled his belt and tossed it by his gun. He curled his fingers around the hem of his shirts and started to tug.

“Don’t,” Eva’s voice stopped him. She smiled as she closed the door behind her, coming up to him. Her fingers slid under the fabric to touch his abs. He shivered under her light fingertips. “Allow me.”

The young man lifted his arms to allow her to slide his ragged shirt and tank-top up over his head. As Eva tossed his clothes to the floor, his arms came down onto her shoulders to pull her into another slow, burning kiss. He felt her gasp for breath any time their lips separated for a moment, her hands sliding along the ridges of his sides. She pulled away slowly, his lips still tingling as she opened her eyes to admire his. Eva smiled, letting her shawl slip down her arms to puddle at her feet.

“Your eyes have turned gold,” she remarked as her hands slid up his chest.

His hands cupped the rounds of her shoulders, stroking her soft skin where it was exposed with his thumbs. “Yeah, I’m… I’m having trouble controlling my trigger.” 

“Have no fear of harming me, Nero,” Eva assured him with soft-spoken words. She purred to herself, guiding his hands to the clasp of her dress at her throat. Her eyes sparkled of their own inner darkness for a brief moment, but after Nero blinked, he wasn’t so sure that he’d seen it. “I have lain with a demon several times before.”

“Sparda had control over himself and his devil. I’m still a horny hatchling in comparison,” Nero grumbled. 

His hands shook a little as he unclasped the choker of her gown, his warm palms sliding against her smooth skin to push the black, silken fabric from her chest and shoulders. She held still for him as he unclasped the small hooks that held her gown closed at her sternum. The cloth fell away, revealing the supple mounds of her breasts to his eyes. Nero drew in a breath at the sight of them, taking a moment to cup them gently in his hands. They were so much like Kyrie’s that if he closed his eyes, he could have imagined her before him. The only differences were that Eva’s skin was unmarred by the freckles that dotted Kyrie’s clavicle and bosom, and the woman’s nipples were a darker shade of pink. Eva gasped as he ran his calloused thumbs over her nipples, feeling them perk against him. 

Nero kissed her cheek and down the side of her neck as his hands continued to undress her. He reached behind her to unclasp the belt at her waist, and dragged his hands against her hips and waist as they went to the final clasp at her belly button. Her gown fell away from her body like petals opening around a flower, gathering into a black pool on the floor. She sighed as his hands wandered over her body, exploring every curve she had to offer. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her fingers tangling in his hair to hold him in place as he kissed her neck and shoulder. His thumbs slid beneath the hem of her black lace panties, and he gave her bottom a squeeze that made her cry out.

He kissed up her neck, along her chin, to meet her lips once more. Eva kissed him feverently, her lips and tongue begging for more as she led the kiss and pressed her body against his, desperate for touch. She gave his bottom lip a gentle bite as she rubbed herself against his groin, feeling him straining against his jeans. Nero chuckled in the back of his throat as he pulled his lips away from hers, the woman panting in quiet gasps. 

“In a bit,” he whispered to her, giving her ass another squeeze. “I’m supposed to be taking care of you, remember?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“No buts, Eva.” Nero gave her a quick, chaste kiss. “Relax. Let me love you in my style.”

She sheepishly nodded, loosening her grip on his shoulders as he kissed down her neck and began to kneel. His lips followed down the curve of her breast, pausing there to give her nipple a long, loving lick before moving on. As he knelt, he pulled down her panties and cupped her thighs and calves. He pulled her panties down to the floor. Eva shifted her weight, spreading her legs as he lifted his head to admire her womanhood. She was adorned in fine trimmed gold, and Eva shivered under his touch as he stroked up her calves and thighs to bring his hands to her petals. With her still wearing her heels, she was at that perfect height for him, where all he had to do was sit up to meet her flower.

Eva cried out once more as his lips and tongue met the moist warmth of her folds. She gasped and panted his name as his tongue swirled against her, kissing her and devouring her as he had her lips. The woman braced herself on his broad, steady shoulders, her voice rising as she got closer and closer to bliss. 

Nero stopped before she could cum and removed his mouth from her, kissing up her abdomen as he stood once more. She swayed in his arms, and he lifted her as if she weighed nothing with an arm against her back and another under her knees. Eva’s long hair pooled around her head like a golden halo as he laid her on the bed, bending over her to kiss her lips. She purred as she rubbed her tongue against his, tasting herself on him. Nero ran his hand over her body, marvelling at the feel of her skin against his hand when not long ago, that hand could feel nothing at all. Sweet Surrender 2.0 rolled closer to him, bumping against his arm and reminding him of its presence with its cool touch. He grinned as he sat up over her and grabbed the white metal arm. Eva watched him through lust-hazed eyes as he slid his arm into it. The weapon fit like a glove.

She shivered as the cold metal came down to cup her breast, rolling her nipple with his thumb. Nero kissed along her neck once more, enjoying the sweet sounds she made too much to mute her with another kiss. The woman squeaked as he turned on the vibrator with a twitch of his arm, his palm and fingers vibrating lowly against her giving flesh.

“Nero,” she whispered his name, arching her body into his motorized hand. 

He chuckled lowly, giving her neck a gentle love bite. A wanton sigh escaped her lips, her chin tilting to give him more room. There was something satisfying about watching her squirm, watching her  _ writhe _ as he slid Sweet Surrender down her side to her hips. Her lips moved, mouthing words she lacked the courage to speak out loud. But he knew what she wanted, her legs opening for him as he moved his hand between her thighs. A little muscle twitch was all it took to increase the vibration frequency of his fingers, and Eva moaned as he pressed his fingers to her clit. 

“Eva,” he purred her name in her ear. “Are you a one and done kind of gal? Or are you like my Kyrie? Can you go on all night, again and again?”

The woman smirked at him, tilting his chin away from her neck to kiss him deeply. Nero upped the vibrator another notch, if only to make her moan and arch into him again. Still, Eva smirked at him.

“Do you think,” she answered between gasps, “that I would marry the legendary Sparda and  _ not  _ be able to satisfy his hungers? Little hatchling, you have much to learn still.”

“Just for that…” 

Eva cried out as he turned the vibrator all the way up to its maximum setting. He would tease Kyrie with the original Sweet Surrender, coaxing her to an orgasm in under five minutes on the nights where they’d gone too long without sex. The woman beneath him, singing and clinging to him, had gone longer without, because she came in a matter of moments. Her hips spasmed and jolted against his hand, her lips parted in a silent scream as her painted nails dug into his arm and back. Nero turned down the vibrator slowly, drawing out her orgasm for as long as he could before turning the thing off. He kissed her neck and cheek as she basked in and recovered from her orgasm, her breasts heaving with every shaky breath. 

Nero felt her hands stroke his chest, her fingers trailing and following the lines of his abs to his hips. She purred as she traced his tuft of white hair to the waistband of his jeans. He bit back a groan as she cupped his groin, feeling him through his clothes. 

“You wield a rather impressive sword, Nero,” she remarked as her deft fingers went to work on unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. 

He gave Eva a lopsided grin. “Not as remarkable as Sparda’s, I’m sure.”

“Don’t be so harsh on yourself. A true swordsman is not judged by the size of his blade, but how…  _ efficient _ he is with it. And besides…” Eva hummed to herself as she pulled him free of his clothes to stroke lovingly. “Sparda wasn’t as  _ mighty _ as you may imagine.”

“You saying I’m bigger than him?”

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders to pull him down for her to whisper in his ear, “Yes, Nero. You  _ much _ more than my husband was.”

Her sultry words almost made him cum right then and there, but Nero bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from spilling in her hand. Nero dipped his head to kiss her once more, Eva’s tongue swirling against his in the same motion as her thumb against his crown. He had to break the kiss for breath, made dizzy by her kiss and touch. 

Nero sat up off of her, onto his knees and backed off of the bed completely. She sat up on her elbows to watch him finish undressing, the young man pulling his pants and underwear down to stand completely naked before her. He held still, letting Eva’s gaze rake over his body, appraising him. A shiver trickled down his spine as she shifted her position, sitting up and crawling to him on hands and knees. With her long, golden hair and her lust-filled eyes, she reminded him of a cat stalking its prey. She sat up on her knees at the edge of the bed to kiss him one last time, and she lowered herself down his body. 

His head fell back with a moan as she took him into her hand once more and ran her tongue along his length. Nero tangled his fingers in Eva’s hair, letting himself gasp and groan as her lips encased him. She pulled him into her mouth one inch at a time, her tongue cupping the underside of his cock as he filled her with his pulsing heat. The woman bobbed her head back and forth, the purring of her throat sending vibrations up his shaft to tickle his spine. His control slipped away with every slurp until Nero held her head in place and moved his hips into her. Eva didn’t stop him, didn’t fight him as he lost control and came in her mouth. She only sucked harder as she pulled her lips away slowly, milking him for every drop he had to offer. The woman’s blue eyes were as dark as the sea as she looked up at him and swallowed, licking her lips. 

Eva guided his arms around her waist as she sat up on her knees to face him once more. Her arms circled his shoulders, pulling him into a slow, teasing kiss. As he had done with her, she kissed him to make him taste himself on her lips and tongue. Their flavors blended together with their saliva, mixing and mingling until Nero’s own mind swirled, and even he couldn’t tell what taste belonged to who anymore. She leaned back to lay on the bed once more, pulling him with her. They scooted together, giggling and laughing each time they bumped limbs during the brief journey to the center of the king-sized bed. Nero gave her lips one last kiss as he laid over her, eclipsing her body with his own. Her legs welcomed him, a knee lifting to rub against his side and encourage him to continue. 

He didn’t warn her, didn’t prepare her as he guided himself into her flower, wet with the nectar of desire. Eva moaned, closing her eyes and arching her back to push her hips further into him as he slid into her easily. Nero’s hand clasped hers above her head, tangling his fingers with hers as he continued to thrust into her until he was completely sheathed in Eva’s warmth. Her other hand rested on his back, and with Sweet Surrender against her side, it was almost like they were dancing as Nero made love to her. She sang as he built a slow, steady pace for her; withdrawing until only the crown remained and thrusting back in again to the hilt. 

Nero sat up as he thrust into her. His hands stroked down the length of her body, her arms circling her head as she remained laying back. He grasped her by her thighs, lifting her hips to that perfect angle to thrust into. Eva’s voice rose with each thrust, climbing higher and higher as she drew closer to her orgasm. She chanted his name, even cupped and kneaded her own breasts. His hips ground against hers, thrusting into her harder until the bed creaked beneath them. He adjusted his grip on her hips, stretching the Sweet Surrender to touch her clit with his thumb. What finally brought her over the edge was his vibrating thumb, rubbing against the pearl of her clit. 

This time, Eva did cry out. Her voice rang through the halls of the manor as she moaned lowly with her orgasm. Her legs tightened around his waist, and her warmth quivered against him inside her. Nero relaxed his grip on her as she lay puddled on the bed, a twitching mess of bliss. He pulled out gently and laid beside her, kissing her and running his hand over her body.

“You didn’t cum,” she whispered when she finally caught her breath. Eva lifted a lazy hand to run her knuckle along the line of his jaw. “You haven’t triggered.”

“I’ve been too busy worrying about you,” Nero teased, holding her hand still to kiss her palm. She purred as he kissed the inside of her wrist. “I don’t know how well I can control him… The devil inside me… I only just met him. We’re still getting to know each other. I haven’t even shown Kyrie yet.”

“Are you that afraid of him?” Eva asked, tilting her head in curiosity at him. 

“It’s not that I’m afraid. It’s…” Nero struggled to find the right words for what he felt. His eyes looked over her body, his hand following his gaze to caress her soft skin. “All my life, I was taught that demons were evil and humans were good. Period. And that the only exception was Sparda. Then before I knew it, everything was flipped upside down. I met a man that was both demon and human, who made me face what it meant to  _ be _ human not just in shape or in blood, but… in my heart.”

“Dante.”

Nero nodded. “Yeah, Dante. I knew the Order was teaching me some shady shit, but he opened my eyes to  _ more _ . More than being a human or a demon or both. More than just the Order and what they taught me about Sparda and the outside world. More than… than  _ me. _ ” He sat up off of her, turning off Sweet Surrender and unbuckling it from his arm. The young man flexed his hand and shook the soreness out of it caused by being cramped in the sleeve. Nico had some adjustments to make on it yet. His attention went to the woman laying beside him. “I’ve seen what being a demon can do to someone. I’ve seen it turn good men into monsters, and I’ve seen it redeem lesser men. I’m not afraid of the devil himself. I’m afraid of what he’ll do to me if I let him out.”

Eva smiled as she sat up as well, tracing his lips with her fingertips. “Nero… Sweet Nero… Your heart is as gold as your devil’s eyes, and though you have the blood of a demon, you have the soul of an angel. So long as you hold onto that kindness, that charity, you will never stray from your path of good. Your demon is a reflection of your soul, of the truths of your heart. It draws strength from your emotions and shapes itself from that. What emotion rules you, Nero? Fury? Envy?” She hummed to herself, smiling as if she already knew. “Love? Do not fear your demon. Doing so would mean fearing yourself, in your most stripped down, basic form. Now…” Her eyes lifted to his. “Show him to me. Show me your devil.”

He closed his eyes and drew a shaky breath, released it, and drew a longer, steadier breath. Nero could feel his skin shifting, changing to scales and hard plate armor. His back tickled a bit where his spectral wings unfurled, stretching out stiffness in muscles that weren’t really there. He heard Eva gasp as his hair lengthened, falling down his back and over his shoulders. When he opened his eyes, Nero could see the awe in her face, illuminated by the glow of his wings. 

She lifted a hand to touch the spikes on his chin, to brush against his snow white bangs, to touch his feathery halo. Nero pulled his head back as her fingers sent tingling ripples through his body. She flinched at the same time as he did. 

Nero chuckled. “Sorry,” he murmured, even his voice transformed by his demonic state. “They’re uh… they’re sensitive.”

Eva chuffed to herself, smiling as she ran her hands over his abs and sides once more. Her fingers followed every ripple of his scales leading down to his groin. Eva’s eyes lifted up again to the glow in his chest that matched the glow of his wings. 

“Love,” she said at last. “Love was what triggered you, wasn’t it?”

He grinned a little as her hands cupped his face once more. “How’d you guess?”

“A woman knows these things.” Her eyes went to his feathery halo. “You’re beautiful.” 

The hybrid brushed a lock of hair from her face, not wanting to scratch her with his talons. “Not as beautiful as you.”

She smiled and blushed shyly, tracing his lips once more with her fingers. “Once more, Nero. Before you go…”

Nero didn’t answer her with words. He kissed her lips, letting the kiss bloom into renewing passion. Eva purred in that kiss as his scaled hands caressed her body, her tongue dancing with his in the warmth of their joined mouths. Those gentle hands guided her body, pushed her away from the kiss and turned her back to him. She shivered in his arms as he kissed her shoulders and the back of her neck, the spikes of his chin grazing her skin without piercing or hurting her. He molded her body, shaped her around him as he pulled her up on her knees to press her back to his chest. Eva sighed softly as she leaned her head against his shoulder, offering her neck to him as his hands stroked the length of her body. She felt his cock between her thighs, rubbing against her wet womanhood. 

“Yes,” Eva moaned as she felt the cool touch of his spectral wings cupping her breasts, a contrast to the warmth of his hands on her belly and thigh. Her arms lifted to reach above and behind her, guiding his head to her neck. “More, Nero. Touch me more…”

He purred in his chest, the low sound more animal than man. Nero obeyed her, squeezing her where each hand lay on her body. The woman sighed, her body welcoming him as he lowered a hand to his groin to guide his demonic cock into her. She slid on her knees a little, spreading her legs more as she descended on him. He felt her body as she sheathed each bump and ridge in his transformed penis, made more monstrous by his trigger. Nero leaned back a little so that she could brace herself on him, her body taking him to the hilt once more. He drowned her in his touch as he rocked his hips slowly, stroking her core with his length to press on that spot with in her again and again. 

Her body shuddered against his as he grazed his teeth on her exposed neck. She chanted between gasps and moans, speaking only two words. “ _ Yes,” _ Eva encouraged him. “Nero,  _ yes _ .” 

His hands roamed her body, worshipping every curve and inch offered to him. Nero gave her breasts another squeeze as he bit her, his teeth sinking into the soft flesh where her shoulder met neck. She cried out, her folds tightening around him as he lured her closer to her next orgasm. As his spectral wings groped her breasts, his demonic claws dragged against her belly and thigh, threatening to slice her without breaking her skin. He brought a hand to her pearl and rubbed her with the soft pad of his finger, drawing circles on her clit with his rough-scaled finger. She came again with a low moan, her body quivering against his.

Eva was still shaking when he changed his grip on her. His spectral wings grasped her by her biceps as his demonic hands gripped her thighs. Her voice rose as he thrust up into her, taking her body for his pleasure now. The woman’s body bounced on his lap with every thrust. Words no longer spilled from her lips; only the pleasured sounds of a woman in heat enjoying every moment of their coupling. He bit her harder as he finally came, filling her with molten heat as she spasmed around him again in another, smaller orgasm. 

Nero returned to his human form and waited until both of them had finished jolting before he pulled out of her, still dripping. He gently laid her down before joining her on his side, holding Eva tenderly in his arms. They kissed softly with slow, chaste touches of lip to lip, tongue to tongue. They were kisses that didn’t entice or incite, but kisses that  _ spoke _ . Things that couldn’t be said, words that couldn’t be understood, a commonality between the two of them. 

A widow of war, a woman heartbroken by blood and battle. A man, doomed to the same violent fate as her husband, as his father, his uncle, and his grandfather. 

One day, he would leave behind a widow of his own to mourn over his grave.

Just like Eva.

With the darkness reaching to them, they were in this moment one another’s light.


	5. Call Me Maybe

How long Nero dozed, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he had slept, and that Eva was gone when he finally woke up. The young man yawned and stretched, and felt the infinite emptiness of the bed around him. The disappointment hurt more than he expected. Knowing that her time was soon coming to an end made him want to hold her all the more, made him want to  _ warn _ her and change the future, just to save her. 

The room was cold as he got out of bed and collected his discarded clothes. He didn’t even bother washing himself, and he scowled as he realized his hair had stayed long after his trigger. Not even thinking, he tied it back with a ribbon from her vanity and got dressed. 

He found her in the kitchen, humming to herself as she chopped ingredients for dinner. She smiled to herself as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her cheek. Eva smelled of soap and fresh linen, the woman having taken the time to wash herself before she got dressed. She scraped the herbs she’d been chopping into a small bowl and wiped her hands clean before turning in his arms to face him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to pull him into a slow, soft kiss. 

Eva bent his head so he could kiss her forehead after, the two letting go of one another at the same time. She reached to a small wooden box sitting on the counter. From it, she withdrew a small piece of grey chalk. 

“For you, Nero,” she said as she handed him the chalk. It wasn’t much bigger than his thumb. “It’s infused with Geryon blood. Draw a circle large enough to fit through, and it will open a passage back to your original timeline. It will naturally dispel after twenty minutes.” He nodded and pocketed the chalk. She pressed the wooden box into his hands. “And for your Kyrie. I only regret that I couldn’t meet her and give this to her myself.” 

“You still can,” Nero blurted out. He shook his head as he took her hands in his. “Eva, listen to me. There’s going to be an attack. I can stay and protect you, and -”

She cut him off with a finger to his lips. “Hush!” Eva hissed at him, her brows furrowed. “Say no more of the future, Nero. Your presence has already caused enough ripples that could affect your future if we’re not careful.” Her face softened as she cupped his cheek in her hand, her smile blooming like a flower in sunlight. “Nero… Sweet Nero. You have renewed my heart and soul with your gentle glow. For that, I cannot thank you enough.” She removed her hand from his face, hugging her shawl closer. “You must go now. My sons will be home soon.”

“And it would be bad if we met, I know.” Nero sighed and growled in the same breath. “I just… I hate it. I hate having to walk away like this. Not able to do anything, when I know what’s going to happen if I leave...”

“But you  _ have _ done something.” Eva smiled and kissed his knuckles. “You’ve given me the one thing every mother wants, and sometimes needs to hear. That despite everything that stands in their way, my sons will come out alright in the end.”

“I wouldn’t quite put it like  _ that _ ,” he grumbled, rubbing his nose with his hand.

Eva giggled softly. She kissed his cheek one last time before stepping back, out of his reach. “Good-bye, Nero. My grandson…”

He backed towards the door, afraid that if he stayed any longer, he’d never leave. Nero smiled through his own tears. “Good-bye, Eva. My grandmother…”

She didn’t stop him from leaving, as much as he wanted her to. As he closed the door, he looked back through the windows for her face. As he closed the garden gate, he looked back for a glimpse of her shadow in the house. Every few steps, he’d look back for her, and he’d never see her. He couldn’t see her shadow or her shape, he couldn’t see the glimmer of her golden hair or the glow of her crimson shawl. He stopped in the road to look back for her, but she couldn’t be found.

His heart stopped at the sound of children shouting.

He froze in fear as he heard one small voice call out to the other. 

“Hurry up, Vergil!”

Nero lifted his hood and walked away, keeping his head down as he headed into the field of wildflowers and tall grass, and toward the woods he’d emerged from. He knelt by the fallen tree and ducked in the shadows as a cloud of dust kicked up by small feet announced the presence of the boys as they came running up the lane to their house. 

His breath caught in his lungs as he saw them. Dante was the one in white. He had a wooden practice sword strapped to his back as he dragged his backpack behind him, running ahead of his brother and beating him to the garden gate. And trailing behind him, in his neat black shirt and shorts, was Vergil. Nero chuckled, muffling himself with a hand as he watched the boy walk and read at the same time. He recognized that boy as he walked by. It was the same boy he’d seen in the mirror years and years ago, when Nero was a page at the Order, barely bigger than the training sword he practiced with. 

Vergil stopped short at the garden gate, lifting his head to turn his eyes toward the woods.

He was looking right at Nero.

Dante came up beside Vergil, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the house. The door opened, and Nero could see the shape of Eva standing in the doorway. “Come on!” The younger twin urged his brother. “You promised you’d practice with me before dinner, and Mom’s already cooking!”

“Dante! Vergil!” Eva called from the open door of the house. “Come inside! You have homework to finish first!”

Nero let out a breath he’d been holding as Dante loudly whined in disappointment, the two boys heading over to meet their mother in the doorway. Vergil hesitated, though. His eyes followed Eva’s gaze out over the wildflowers and into the woods. If words were exchanged between them, Nero didn’t hear them. He only saw the knowing smile on Eva’s face as she ushered her elder son inside and closed the door once more. 

With the danger of meeting the boys passed, Nero got the grey bit of chalk out of his pocket and turned to the fallen tree. He drew the triangle along the length of the fallen tree, along the dusty ground, and up the stump the tree had fallen from. The moment he connected the last line to the first, the triangle flashed bright white before the image of Nero’s Red Grave City faded into view. Drawing the triangle took up half the small stick of chalk; the last little bit left was smaller than the last knuckle of his pinky finger. It was just enough for…

He shook his head and pocketed the last remaining bit of chalk, crawling through the portal. The night city air felt good against his skin, and he lowered his hood as he stood up straight. Nero checked his phone, turning it off and on again to reset the clock on it. He grinned at the sight of the time. The man unlocked his phone with a swipe and dialed the number by heart. It rang a couple of times before a familiar voice answered on the other end.

“Devil May Cry,” the voice said, a little exasperated at having been called in the middle of dinner.

“I have a job for you,” Nero told his younger self. “It won’t pay much, but it’s right up your alley. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

There was a pause on the other end. 

“Alright, I’m listening.”


End file.
